


Stealing The Silverware

by DarcSyster



Series: 5isters [2]
Category: AdventureQuest Worlds
Genre: Not Canon Compliant, Other
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-03
Updated: 2018-06-03
Packaged: 2019-05-17 13:19:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,800
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14833031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarcSyster/pseuds/DarcSyster
Summary: I had only been playing AdventureQuest for about a week. For most of it, I had been ignoring the big background story. I had only planned to write the one story,Within The 5hadoe, but somehow a second story popped into my head. I had done Robina's first quest regarding the key which 5hadoe mentions in this story. I figured Robina must be a princess or the queen or something based on that first quest and her comments in the castle during the great battle. I also knew she wasn't first in line from my visit to the collesium. During that aborted series of quests, I had popped into the inn in Swordhaven where I found Princess Victoria standing in the very place Robina usually stands and looking very much the same but differently dressed. A quick wiki look-up confirmed my suspicions.Why didn't I stick around the collesium? They were basically fighting over who would get the chance to woo Princess Brittany. I figure 5hadoe, if she has a sexuality, is probably more straight, although she might have some fluidity. If she is fluid, Brittany is definitely not her type. Besides, being a ruler is also definitely not her thing. So the collesium quests seemed pointless for a character like 5hadoe. She'll do them eventually, but only so I can progress to the next stage of the story, not because I as 5hadoe is at all interested. Honestly, the cutscenes are either dreadful or nonsensical if you're a woman playing a straight female character.So figuring that Robina was a princess but that she wasn't the crown princess, the story popped into my head of 5hadoe trying to help her sneak into the castle. The line that I kept hearing 5hadoe say every time anyone wanted to know why she was there was "I'm here to steal the silverware." She's a thief. What else would you expect? After playing through the Willowcreek sub-plot, I knew exactly why she wanted to steal the silverware. And that became the story.





	Stealing The Silverware

Hiding in the bushes, Robina carefully spied over the castle gate. "Why are you out here hiding?" 5hadoe whispered from behind. 

Startled, Robina looked behind. The rogue's voice was perky and pixie-like, just like her blue eyes and bright face, but her hair and clothing were very darkly the opposite. "What are you doing here?" Robina demanded quietly.

"I'm asking you why you're hiding out here," 5hadoe replied. Robina fumed.

"I need to sneak into the castle," Robina explained, "but Sir Mon is guarding the gate."

"Why don't you just walk in the front door like everyone else?" 5hadoe asked. "Even I can do that now."

Flustered, Robina took a breath. "It's not that simple," she replied. "I'm not who I pretend to be."

"You're not the ranger Robina the Hood, second daughter of King Alteon?" 5hadoe asked.

Robina was stunned. "What makes you think I'm the second daughter of King Alteon?" she demanded.

"When the castle was under attack, and you told me to go to the throne room, you stumbled over what to call the king," 5hadoe replied. "Then, after the attack was over, you asked me to find the back door key for the castle which you had lost in the sewer which means you have a key and sneak in and out of the castle on a regular basis. But most importantly, there's a painting in the castle library of King Alteon and his three daughters."

"You're right," Robina sighed. "My real name is Princess Victoria."

"I don't believe you," 5hadoe responded. "I think you only pretend to be Princess Victoria."

Robina stared at her in disbelief. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"Just imagine you were given a choice," 5hadoe began. "In the first choice, you can be the ranger Robina the Hood. You get to keep your family, your father will still be your father and your sisters will still be your sisters, but you must forever forsake all the titles, privileges, and obligations that go with being a princess. In the second choice, you also get to keep your family, and all the titles, privileges, and obligations that go with being Princess Victoria, but you must forever forsake being a ranger. Which would you pick?"

Robina was momentarily stunned. "I see what you mean," she said. "I hope it never comes to that. When I was very young, I was very weak and sickly. I read a lot of books about adventurers. I especially liked the ones with rangers in them. One day, a faerie said she would grant me one wish. I guess I am more a ranger now than a princess. Even so, my father does not know and he must never know. If I were to simply walk into Princess Victoria's room as I am, seen by everyone, then everyone would know, including my father. I know Sir Mon suspects me and has been trying to catch me for some time so he can show me up to my father."

"Hold tight under my cloak," 5hadoe instructed.

"Halt! Who goes there?" Sir Mon demanded as he stuck out his spear. "Oh! It's you! Come to steal the silverware have you? You allied yourself with _Good_. You should behave better than that. Hold your head up proud as the hero you are. You should be protecting the king and his daughters and the kingdom from the shape-shifters rumoured to be lurking about. Besides, the castle has no silverware. So what auspicious occasion brings you to seek audience with the king?"

"I'm not here to seek an audience with the king," 5hadoe replied. "I'm here to steal the silverware."

Sir Mon face palmed. "I just told you that there is no silverware," he said.

"Then it should be all right for me to steal it!" 5hadoe responded.

"Be that way if you must," Sir Mon responded. "A true hero would never stoop to such deception without an excellent reason."

"You're absolutely right!" 5hadoe responded cheerfully. "This means you're going to let me in, doesn't it?" Confused, Sir Mon opened the gate.

Robina shook her head and laughed. "I can't believe that actually worked! Besides, you still haven't told me the real reason you're here." 

"I'm a thief," 5hadoe responded. "I'm here to steal the silverware, just like I told him."

Robina laughed. "I don't believe you," she said. "I know you really have a heart of gold."

"I do?" 5hadoe asked. "How much do you think I could sell it for?"

Robina laughed even more. "I mean you're good," she asserted.

"Oh no! That's where you're wrong," 5hadoe said. "Just because I allied myself with good, doesn't mean I am good, unless you mean I'm good at being a rogue." 

Robina gave her a look. "Besides, just as Sir Mon told you, we don't have any silverware!" she said. "Silver is too soft a metal, and it tarnishes so easily! All the plates and cutlery are made of wood or pewter. We use the same stuff they use at the inn."

"I know," 5hadoe responded.

"How can you know that?" Robina demanded.

"I'm a rogue," 5hadoe replied. "That's what you call people like me who aren't employed by anyone. But when we are employed by someone, you call us spies. Whether you're a spy or a rogue, you keep your eyes open and try to notice everything, just in case you need it some time."

"But aren't spies suppose to wear disguises?" Robina asked.

5hadoe was momentarily silent. "There are two kinds of spies," she said, "those who wear disguises, and those who sneak around in the shadows. I'm the second kind. That's how I got my name. At the orphanage, I was always sneaking around the shadows spying on everything, and stealing everything, especially food. They'd always say 'A certain shadow has been here again!' That's why I'm called 5hadoe. Except I spell it with a five instead of an ess because when I was young, I kept getting confused as to which was a number and which was a letter. I still do it that way, but now it's a just to be different."

"Oh!" Robina responded. "Hey! I have an idea! While I'm pretending to be Princess Victoria, why don't we disguise you as one of my ladies in waiting!" 

"I'm not sure I can do that," 5hadoe replied. "I'm not good at waiting."

Robina laughed. "Come on!" she called. "It'll be fun!" 5hadoe shrugged her consent and allowed Robina to lead her into a room. "We'll need to find you a dress that fits," Robina said. "You're about my height, but a little thinner. And you'll probably need a bath."

"I do not need a bath," 5hadoe protested, "I had one yesterday, in the lake, while fishing."

Robina laughed. "I guess if you took a bath, you're not very good at fishing."

"Actually, I'm quite good!" 5hadoe responded. "I even have a special pole that lets me catch 3 fish at a time because I don't like waiting. Besides, I take a bath regularly. You can't sneak around people if they know you're there because they can smell you!"

"I hadn't thought of that," Robina responded. She called out the door. Soon, several other women had entered.

"Oh wow!" one young woman cried. "You're the hero!" A pained expression filled 5hadoe's face.

"You don't like being called that?" Robina asked.

" _Hero_ is what you call someone who's _good_!" 5hadoe replied.

"She's the hero," Robina confirmed to the woman. 5hadoe pouted.

"You are a cute one," an older woman commented. "I hear you and Sir Artix are a couple now."

"We are _not_ a couple!" 5hadoe replied. "We're simply friendly towards each other and some times war party members." 

"Honest opinion," Robina called. "What do you think of him?"

"He's awesomely cute!" 5hadoe responded. Several of the young women giggled with glee. "But nothing will ever happen between us because he's the first person I've ever met who's truly good."

"But you're good too!" one of the young women responded. "Everyone says so. They say you were the only other one there when Sepulchure and King Alteon were fighting each other and that they both called out for you to help them. Everyone knows you chose good over evil."

"Choosing to ally myself with good at that time does not mean I'm good," 5hadoe responded.

"Shadoe," Robina called. "I don't think you're ever going to convince anyone that you're not the hero you say you're not. Come on. Take off that armour and let's get you in a proper dress."

"I haven't worn a dress since I was little," 5hadoe responded as she slipped out of her armour. She could hear gasps all about her. Virtually every other woman in the room was staring at her. "Is there something wrong?" she asked.

I don't think they've ever seen a body quite like yours," Robina commented.

"You have muscles!" one of the younger women responded. "They're not very womanly."

"Oh no!" the older woman responded. "They are _very_ womanly! Men's muscles are _very_ different."

5hadoe struggled to get into her dress.

"Now we just need to do something about your hair," the older woman said. "While the pony tails do make you look quite cute, they aren't proper for a lady in waiting."

"What am I suppose to be waiting for?" 5hadoe asked as her hair was redone.

"Me telling you what to do," Robina replied. She was now dressed in a fine dress and a simple coronet which identified her as a princess.

"Then I definitely don't like waiting," 5hadoe replied.

Robina laughed. "Come on! Let's explore the castle and see if there's some fun we can get into."

  


They were passing in front of the throne room when they encountered Princess Brittany. "Oh!" she greeted her sister. "You have a new lady in waiting. But she is a cute one." She tapped 5hadoe on 5hadoe's chin.

"Please don't touch me like that," 5hadoe asked nicely.

"Oh my!" Brittany responded as she tapped 5hadoe's chin some more. "A little sensitive are we?"

"I asked you nicely to not do that," 5hadoe responded.

"And why should I care?" Brittany asked as she tapped 5hadoe's chin once more. Suddenly, 5hadoe grabbed Brittany's wrist and twisted her around. "How dare you!" Brittany hissed. "Do you not know who I am? I am the crown princess."

"And I am sure that when you bleed, your blood is as red as everyone else's," 5hadoe responded. "Wouldn't you agree, King Alteon?"

"Quite," Alteon responded. "Brittany. Good manners are how we keep the peace." Furious, Brittany glared 5hadoe. Alteon looked 5hadoe up and down. "You're in disguise of course," he said. "What brings you to the castle today?"

"I'm here to steal the silverware," 5hadoe replied.

"She's nothing but a common thief," Brittany hissed. "And a stupid one too. We don't _have_ any silverware. The only thing silver in this entire castle are those old useless ceremonial daggers we keep for no reason."

"Actually, she's here to help me with my exercises," Victoria interrupted. "My usual ones are just so boring! I asked Shadoe if she could help me find something more interesting." 

"I have an idea," 5hadoe said. "Since you like stories about rangers so much, why don't we go to the armoury; they probably have practice staffs there. They'll be big staffs covered in lots of padding so we don't hurt each other. Then we can go in to the practice yard and practice some staff fighting."

"That sounds like a wonderful idea!" Victoria said.

"Indeed," Alteon agreed. "Carry on! And Shadoe? I hope you'll join us tonight for dinner. It's a special occasion. Brittany is getting engaged."

5hadoe was stunned silent. "Of course she will," Victoria said.

  


"You shouldn't have done that," Victoria said. "Brittany can be very vengeful."

"Then she'd better learn the rules of vengeance," 5hadoe replied. "The first rule is, it's seldom ever profitable. She's the one with the five storage rooms of nothing but shoes, isn't she?"

"Yes!" Robina confirmed. "I can't believe you! You're like some kind of - I don't know. You're nice. You're perky. You're fun. You always seem so cheerful, even when you say the gloomiest things! You know things no one is suppose to know. How do you think of all of this stuff?" Victoria asked.

"I spend a great many nights staring either at the stars or at the ceiling not sleeping," 5hadoe replied.

  


"Do you know a lot about fighting with a staff?" Robina asked as they each held a staff covered in extreme amounts of padding.

"A rogue has to know how to defend themselves with anything and everything they might find at hand," 5hadoe replied. "I'm okay." She brought the staff fast against Robina. It bounced off and knocked 5hadoe to the ground. Robina laughed. "Maybe we should be using pillows instead," 5hadoe cried. "They don't bounce as much."

"I think this will be much more fun," Robina laughed.

  


"Welcome Duke Louie de Garou," King Alteon greeted. 

"And greetings to you King Alteon," Garou responded. He noticed 5hadoe standing some distance away, looking at them.

"Dinner is about to be served. Shall we?" Alteon said as he lead the young noble into the castle. 

"Darling!" Garou cried as Brittany eagerly ran up to him. "It's so good to see you again. I've missed you terribly."

"It's wonderful to see you again too," Brittany replied. They sat themselves down at the table beside each other.

"Duke Garou?" King Alteon called. "I believe you know my second daughter, Victoria. This is our hero, Shadoe." 5hadoe pouted at that word again. "Any new adventures Shadoe?" King Alteon asked.

"Not really," 5hadoe replied. "I was in Willow Creek. They were having a little problem. I helped them fix it. Nothing exciting."  


"A hero?" Duke Garou greeted warmly. "It's always nice to meet heroes. You seem unhappy with that title."

"I am _not_ a hero," 5hadoe replied. "I just happen to be good at being in all the wrong places at all the wrong times."

Garou laughed. "Modesty," he said. "I understand that's a common trait amongst heroes." 5hadoe sighed. "Do you have any thoughts on Drakath's Lords of Chaos?"

"We already know who two of the lords of chaos will be," 5hadoe replied. "Drakath said that much to King Alteon and I. I'm more worried about stopping them than the others. I'm just not sure yet how."

"More important and more dangerous than a sharp blade is a sharp mind," King Alteon commented.

Servants came in and set bowls of soup before each person. 5hadoe took her spoon and sniffed hers before taking a taste. Suddenly, Duke Garou flung himself back from his chair. "Poison!" he cried. Suddenly, fur began spouting all over his body. He grabbed Brittany and held her tight. "Stay back!" he yelled at them. "Come near me and I'll put the bite to your crown bitch!" A soup bowl hit him in the head, knocking him back slightly. He suddenly found a silver ceremonial dagger thrust into his left hip. He screamed. His sharp teeth lashed out towards Brittany, only to find himself crunching on a chair leg. A second dagger found it's mark in his right shoulder. He threw away his captive and faced his assailant. 5hadoe stood ready, a silver dagger in each hand. He leapt for her. She dodged, driving the third dagger into his right hip. He spun around. The fourth dagger found his right shoulder. He collapsed to the ground.

"He's a werewolf!" Brittany cried suspiciously. She looked up at 5hadoe. "You saved me!"

"Why haven't you killed me?" Garou demanded. 

"Because it's better for everyone if I don't," 5hadoe replied. "You see the problem they had in Willow Creek was also a werewolf. But I learned from the priest there that it can be cured, but you need special ceremonial silver daggers to do it, one stuck in each of the werewolf's hips and shoulders. The fifth one needs to be used by a healer and I'm not a healer."

"You really were here to steal the silverware!" Victoria cried. King Alteon sighed.

"Why does no one believe me when I say such things?" 5hadoe asked.

  


"I'm still very angry at you for how you handled my royal personage earlier today," Brittany said. "But I am also very grateful to you for saving my life. I will excuse the one because of the other."

"Sounds good to me," 5hadoe responded happily. She was back in her armour, her pony tails sticking out on either side of her head. "Now if you don't mind, and even if you do, I'll be on my way."

"Is she always so insufferably - cheerful?" Brittany demanded.

"Apparently so," Alteon replied.

**Author's Note:**

> I had only been playing AdventureQuest for about a week. For most of it, I had been ignoring the big background story. I had only planned to write the one story, Within The 5hadoe, but somehow a second story popped into my head. I had done Robina's first quest regarding the key which 5hadoe mentions in this story. I figured Robina must be a princess or the queen or something based on that first quest and her comments in the castle during the great battle. I also knew she wasn't first in line from my visit to the collesium. During that aborted series of quests, I had popped into the inn in Swordhaven where I found Princess Victoria standing in the very place Robina usually stands and looking very much the same but differently dressed. A quick wiki look-up confirmed my suspicions. 
> 
> Why didn't I stick around the collesium? They were basically fighting over who would get the chance to woo Princess Brittany. I figure 5hadoe, if she has a sexuality, is probably more straight, although she might have some fluidity. If she is fluid, Brittany is definitely not her type. Besides, being a ruler is also definitely not her thing. So the collesium quests seemed pointless for a character like 5hadoe. She'll do them eventually, but only so I can progress to the next stage of the story, not because I as 5hadoe is at all interested. Honestly, the cutscenes are either dreadful or nonsensical if you're a woman playing a straight female character.
> 
> So figuring that Robina was a princess but that she wasn't the crown princess, the story popped into my head of 5hadoe trying to help her sneak into the castle. The line that I kept hearing 5hadoe say every time anyone wanted to know why she was there was "I'm here to steal the silverware." She's a thief. What else would you expect? After playing through the Willowcreek sub-plot, I knew exactly why she wanted to steal the silverware. And that became the story.


End file.
